Running From Lions
by Court19
Summary: “Oh my God,” she whispered, tenderly tracing her fingers over Spied’s swollen and bruised skin. “Who did this to you?” Juderman. Mostly Spied centered though.


**A/N: Hello readers. This is just a Juderman one-shot I wrote. It wasn't **

**beta-ed so all mistakes are mine. Let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star and never will. However, if I could own Tyler Kyte… Anyway, the title has nothing to do with the story and comes from the title of a song by the amazing band All Time Low. **

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**Running From Lions**

"Where's Spied?" Jude asked, glancing around the rehearsal space, finding only scattered notebook paper, pizza boxes, and cans of soda on the ground.

"Dunno. I ain't his mother," Kyle replied from the couch, stuffing a handful of potato chips into his already full mouth.

"Thanks for the help, Kyle" Jude remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "And that… that's just gross. Close your mouth."

"Yes mom," Kyle replied, but only chewed more obnoxiously, a smug smirk on his face.

Jude contemplated killing Kyle, but as she tried to think of a way to acquire a gun, Wally walked in.

"He went to see his dad or something" Wally clarified, plopping down on the couch beside Kyle and stealing some of his chips.

"Do you know why?" Jude asked, only receiving a shrug from Wally. Jude blinked. "Oookay then."

Jude looked up in shock as the door banged open, revealing their missing guitarist. "Uh… hey." Spiederman greeted, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"You're late" Jude stated, her hands on her hips.

"Yea, sorry about that. I was talking with my dad about…stuff. So anyway, dudes, we ready to jam?"

"Duh dude." Both Kyle and Wally replied, pushing themselves off the couch, the nearly empty bag of chips forgotten.

Jude, however, didn't move her feet. Her eyes were fixed on Spied. Something was wrong with that boy. Well, something besides the obvious. Her thoughts were interrupted when a well placed drumstick collided with her head.

"Ouch! Kyle, what the hell!" Jude scolded as she rubbed her sore forehead.

The boys cracked up, Wally and Kyle slapping high fives as Spied shrugged and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Stop starin' and let's rock!" Kyle said, taking his seat behind the drum kit. He gripped his drumstick in his right hand before realizing he was missing something. "Um, Jude? Could you like…"

"Yeah, yeah" Jude mumbled, rolling her eyes for the second time in ten minutes. Then, picking up the discarded drumstick, she launched it at Kyle's head, hitting him right between the eyes.

Kyle shouted, opening his mouth to protest. Jude just raised her hand. "Next time, I'm shoving it up your ass."

"Kyle would like that." Spied joked with a wink as Wally laughed hysterically.

"Can we just play now?" Kyle muttered, only causing his band mates to laugh louder. But Jude couldn't help but notice how Spied's amusement didn't reach his eyes.

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Things were pretty normal and unexciting for the next few days, but Spied seemed to retreat deeper and deeper into himself every day. He barely talked and the most Jude had managed to get out of him was a small, sad smile.

Finally, one day after practice Jude decided to get to the bottom of her friend's mood. Wally and Kyle left immediately, claiming to have dates. Liars. Jude, however, used the situation to her advantage. Once Spied had finished packing up his guitar, Jude grabbed him by the arm, steering him towards the couch.

"Sit."

"Wha-?"

"Spied, sit. Now."

"Alright, geez, I'm not a damn dog." He mumbled, taking a reluctant seat on the worn-out couch.

Jude took her seat beside him and got straight to the point. "Vincent, what the hell is going on? You don't talk, you don't laugh..."

"Oooh... hated first name usage."

"Spied, this isn't a joke! Something is obviously wrong. And take those damn sunglasses off, it's winter!"

Jude reached up and snatched the glasses off of Spied's face. Her breath caught in her throat, coming out as a strangled gasp.

"Oh my God," she whispered, tenderly tracing her fingers over Spied's swollen and bruised skin. "Who did this to you?"

Spied didn't answer, he just stared at the floor, not meeting her eyes. He was just barely able to suppress a groan as her hand caressed his face. Jude's touch felt like silk gliding across his cheek and at that moment, all he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her, but both his fear and his respect for her stopped him.

"Spied? Spied, look at me," Jude demanded, softly, yet sternly. When he didn't comply, she grabbed his chin, turning his face towards her.

Her blue gaze met his hazel and she saw unshed tears glistening in his eyes. The pain she saw there almost made her sob. She'd never seen Spied so hurt, so… vulnerable. "Oh Spied, honey c'mere," Jude pulled him into a warm hug, rubbing soothing circles on his back as one would do to a child.

Jude was surprised when she felt moisture soak her shirt and sobs wrack the body in her arms. However, she quickly recovered and pulled Spied closer. "Shh, it's ok Spied, you're ok. I'm here."

They sat for what felt like hours, Spied's sobs eventually quieting and his tears slowing.

He pulled away from Jude's shoulder, blushing slightly. "I-I'm sorry. I should

go-" He made to stand up, but Jude placed her hand on his forearm, stopping him.

"Spied, please. Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Jude I can't… it's just-"

"Yes, you can" She urged. "Something is obviously really wrong. Please I just- I want to help."

Spied stared at a while before nodding, "Ok," he whispered. "But Jude, you gotta promise that you won't tell anyone. Not Wally or-or Kyle or Sadie, no one. Ok?"

"Spied…"

"Promise me!"

"I-I promise"

"Thank you." He sat there for a while, not knowing where to start. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, you could start by telling me exactly who did this to you." Jude suggested, grabbing Spied's hands in hers, offering her support.

Spied stopped breathing for a moment. _God, her hands are so soft. She's so beautiful, so damn amazing._

He took a deep breath, knowing that once he told Jude the truth, he would have to face it himself, something he wasn't sure he was ready to do. "It was my dad."

"What? Was this the first time?"

Spied gave a bitter, unamused laugh. "Try one-hundredth, at least."

Jude was shocked and ashamed that she had missed something such as that. How had she not noticed?

"I kept it hidden," Spied remarked, as if reading her thoughts. "And he always used to hit me where people couldn't see. This was the first time in a while. He started when I was ten, when the divorce happened, then two years ago, when he got engaged to Erica, he stopped."

"And then last month she left him…" Jude filled in, realizing what had happened.

"Yeah. He got drunk that night, like he used to when he and mom split up. For an entire week he drank until he passed out on the couch. He only hit me the first night, though. Because every night after that he could barely walk, let alone beat the shit outta me. But that eighth night someone must've made him mad at the bar or somethin' 'cause he came home early, mad as hell and not quite drunk enough to be completely out of it. I don't know what I did, must've not cooked dinner right or left something out, but he found a reason to yell at me. I got pissed and yelled back. He grabbed a baseball bat and I couldn't walk for days. And I just _let_ him do it."

"Spied, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't do anything, Jude."

"Exactly, I didn't even notice. My best friend was getting abused by his dad for years and I didn't do a damn thing about it."

"Jude, no one noticed." Spied insisted, gripping her hands tightly. "Not even Wally or Kyle, my own mom didn't notice."

"But _I_should've." Jude said forcefully.

"Damn it Jude, it's not your fault!"

Jude sat for a while, knowing he was right, but still feeling guilty. Finally, she looked at him and spoke, "It's not yours either."

"I know," Spied whispered, hanging his head "but I should've done something instead of lying there and taking it, but it's just… he's my_father. _He raised me. I used to close my eyes when he beat me," he admitted. "I didn't want to see his face. I didn't want to believe that the man I used to play catch out in the yard with was hurting me. I thought that one day, it would just go away. But it never did. And eventually it became like a ritual. It became a part of ever day life. Get up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, get the shit beat out of me, and go to sleep, then wake up and do it all again the next day. I knew it was wrong, but it was so _normal_. So last month, when he started doing it again, it didn't really faze me. I immediately fell back into the familiar routine; it was like he had never stopped. I know it sounds stupid but,"

"It's not stupid, Spied," Jude had tears running down her face at that point, she hated seeing her friend like that "not at all. I can't tell you that I understand because obviously I don't, but I comprehend what you're saying. I've never been in your situation and I hope I never will be, but I'm here for you. You can talk to me; I'm not going to judge you. I care about you Spied, and I want you to be able to talk to me when you need to. I'm _always _here for you."

Spied's heart jumped at her words. She said she _cared _for him. And sure friends_care _for each other, but there was just something about the way she said it, something that gave Spied hope.

Spied didn't even realize he was crying until he licked his lips and tasted salt. "Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm crying like a little kid."

Jude couldn't help but giggle at his outburst.

"There is nothing wrong with you Vincent Spiederman." Jude said, grabbing his face and using her thumbs to softly wipe away his tears. "You're an amazing guitarist with extremely sexy hair. I'll admit, you have some family issues, you're kind of a dork, and you have a huge ego and a funny shaped nose, and different sized ears…"

Then Spied laughed. A real laugh, one that made his hazel eyes sparkle and nearly made Jude's heart stop.

She hadn't removed her hand from Spied's face and as his laughter quieted, he reached up, grasping her left hand in his right and moving it from his face to his chest. Spied, in turn, placed his other hand on her cheek.

As if weighed down by incredible gravity, the two moved slowly towards each other. Just as their lips were about to meet, Spied stopped, resting his forehead against Jude's.

"Jude," his whisper was so soft and so filled with emotion that Jude felt a knot settle in her stomach. She was about to kiss Vincent Spiederman: the kid who tormented her throughout her childhood with countless pranks and tricks, the boy who put gum in her hair and glue on her seat.

"Jude, listen, if-if you're doing this out of sympathy, or if you're just gonna run straight back to Lord Squinty Frown, then just stop. I can't get my heart broken again, you've got to mean this."

She was about to kiss Vincent Spiederman: the butt-kicker, her rock, her inspiration, her band mate, and one of her best friends. And she realized, between the moment their eyes connected and the moment their lips collided, that there was nothing she wanted more.

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**A/N: This was my first IS fanfic, so please constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading and please, please review. **


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